Dan Savage

Dan Savage is the author of a weekly sex and life advice column titled Savage Love. Despite the lies of Wikipedia, he is only 34. His advice is usually atypical for an advice columnist; he often tells people to "Dump the MF Already" (DTMFA, for short) or to have an affair to get their needs met. At the same time, he has some criteria for such advice, and typically presents his advice in a rather rational (and sometimes, extremely snarky or bitchy) way. There are three sorts of sexual activities he will not ever tolerate: child molestation, coprophagia (translation: eating shit), and bestiality.[citation needed]

Savage is well known for starting the "It Gets Better" project, that encourages gay and transgender adults to tell kids that "it really does get better".

He is not related to Michael Savage, who is also said to go up the down escalator.

Contents

The good

He is a large walking nightmare for Conservapedia, Focus on the Family, and any other "gays are bad parents" and "homosexual sex is just bad" type of groups. Many have pointed to his admission that his relationship is not 100% monogamous as proof that homosexual relationships are not healthy; he points to the sheer numbers of divorces and hidden affairs in heterosexual relationships as proof that his relationship is no less healthy.

Savage, openly homosexual, openly happy, openly healthy, openly comfortable with the human body and sexuality in general, openly qualified to actually use the English language correctly, is also openly a conservative on family values, suggesting that his husband stay at home with their openly happy adopted child. He has become something of a pundit as well, going on CNN and Bill Maher's program to push sex-positivity and same-sex marriage. Many shows (excluding Maher's) love to pair him with an anti-gay bigot, and watch the fireworks.

On September 21, 2010, directly in response to the 5th child in 4 weeks to kill themselves because of bullying and harrassment over their sexuality or perceived sexuality, Savage posted a Youtube video with his husband/partner, telling kids that "It gets better". From that video, he started the It Gets Better Project. A host of famous names added their own videos, from Ellen Degeneres and Chris Colfer, to the employees of Pixar and Google and the Chicago Cubs. But what is perhaps most impressive are the numbers of "every day people" from soldiers to cops, artists and college students, married couples and parents who all share their experiences that "It does get better". As of September, 2011 there are more than 22,000 videos.

The bad

Savage often purposefully flames certain minority groups and their activists, and appears to only support gay rights (at the expense of bisexual people, feminists and women in general, etc.). He has insisted that gay men stay away from bisexual men when looking for anything longer-lasting than a one night stand.[1] He has made light of rape and poked fun at survivors.[2] But it's trans people who arguably have the greatest beef with Savage.

Transgender community

He mockingly suggested Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna was a trans man[3] (he's not), openly espousing the idea that being trans is something so shameful as to be used as a political slur

He tosses around transphobic slurs like "tranny"[4] and "shemale"[5][6]

He has shown an unwillingness to understand the causes, effects and treatments for Gender Identity Disorder: he calls transsexualism a choice, and blasted a trans lady in transition for not putting off sexual reassignment surgery for three years because it might offend her son's delicate sensibilities[4]

He answered an trans man's honest query with just an uncharacteristic "Yes,"[7] turning an attempt to get his advice into a joke

Republicans

Savage's emotions have gotten the better of him and he has said some incredibly stupid things, such as "I wish [Republicans] were all fucking dead."[8]

Abortion and feminists

Savage is anti-abortion, except in the cases of health of the mother or rape. He has toned down his rhetoric in the last few years, apparently after some "enlightenment" moment he had regarding a pregnant relation, saying the law should allow women the right to choose, he still remains an advocate for "life" - whatever that is.

And others

Fat people are one of his favorite "jokes". He loves to talk about how "it's a choice", "it's unnatural" "it's a sin", "fat people don't consider if the person they are hitting on are attracted to them", etc. Gotta say, those arguments are very familiar. [9]

Neologisms

Savage, with the help of his readers, has added a few new words to the English language:

Santorum: the frothy mixture of lube and feces that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex, named for former United States Senator Rick Santorum.

The above has been expanded upon: To "rick" is to remove something with your tongue — the "r" from "remove," the "ick" from "lick" — which makes "rick santorum" the most disgusting two-word sentence in the English language after "vote Republican."